Coming of Age
by Q. Fuller
Summary: A story set after KH2. You may not like it, but hell. It's here. Read it or don't. And if you do read, review. I'd really appreciate it.


**Part 1: Childhood**

It had been over a year since they all had been in the secret place all at once. It felt good to Sora as he made his way inside, followed by Riku and Kairi.

"Can you all believe it's been over a year?" Sora stood up and walked forward to let his friends in behind him.

"click."

"I mean, with all that we've been through, isn't a miracle that we're home?"

"click"

Sora heard the clicking noise behind him and turned to see; only to find Riku...lighting a cigarette.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The brunet asked.

"What?" He stared at his best friend.

"You're smoking!"

"So?"

Silence.

Sora looked at Kairi who lit a cigarette off of Riku's. He watched her as she brought the cancerous death stick to her mouth and took a long drag. Kairi exhaled after a long 10 seconds of holding her breath.

"So we're smoking? What of it?" Kairi brushed Sora off like it wasn't a big deal.

"People die from cigarettes. After what we've all been through, you'd just throw your life away on cigarettes?" Sora tried to reason with the girl, but "Nic O. Tine" had his grip on her.

"Had you any idea of what I've been through, or even Riku's been through, you'd know we were at difficult places in our lives and this was a helping hand then. It doesn't matter now, we're here. That's the most important thing; we're here, together."

Kairi didn't sound like herself. She sounded like in the year she had forgotten Sora, she had grown up. What about Riku? Was he the same boy from before?

"Riku?"

"Yes Sora?" The teen hissed.

**"It doesn't bother you at all?"**

**"No Sora. Compared to the horrors I've seen and felt, smoking is a sweet release." He sounded like he had been addicted for a while; for at least six months.**

**Riku, still sounding dour, was a bit different from himself as well. Like he grew up during Sora's year long nap. Sora couldn't believe it. Here they were, together again, only to find out that things can never be the same again. It wasn't that smoking changed them, it was the year's difference in mentality; smoking was the negative aftereffect. So it was there Sora decided. From that moment on, he would not be the kid his friends knew him as. He took his inner child and locked it away. At that moment Sora matured. He lost his childhood.**

**"Then release is yours." Sora sounded different from himself as well, but the two grown-ups were too busy being grown up that they didn't notice Sora's attitude change. They continued to inhale, and exhale. Inaale and exhale. The smoke clouded their judgement and their eyes. His two best friends were hasty, and they surely will pay the price...**

**xox**

**Part 2: Innocence**

**"Can you believe him? The nerve." Kairi took another drag of her cigarette and blew smoke at nothing in particular. She crossed her legs and waited for Riku to reply.**

**"Yeah. Like smoking has anything to do with anything. We're still the same people right?"**

**Riku nodded.**

**The glimmer in her eyes that attracted Sora to her faded. Like she lost a part of her that made her pure. She was hasty to send Sora away, and for it she lost something. Something that made her **  
**pure, it was innocence.**

**As the smoke encircled her, Kairi's mind began loosing into other things. Things that were instantly a "no" to her before suddenly became a possibility. **

**"Kairi."**

**"Yes Riku?" She replied finishing her short. Kairi exhaled and awaited his next response.**

**"What was it that made you start smoking?" He asked her.**

**"The lack of something. That's funny, I don't remember what it is, but the fact that is wasn't there made me start smoking. I just walked into some second-hand smoke and enjoyed it. I've been smoking since." Kairi hopped down off of the rock she had been sitting on. "What about you?"**

**"I would say the stress for something. I forgot what it was, but everyday, I was so worried about it, that it drove me insane. One of the organization members was smoking one day and I got caught up. DiZ never stopped me despite his warning. I guess stress can change you."**

**They walked out of the secret place together. **

**"Do you think that we'll ever remember what made us start smoking?"**

**"That's hard to say. It depends on the smoke around us. If it's strong, then it will be hard to leave. If **  
**not, then we'll remember easily."**

**Kairi paused. She felt that the something was fading within her.**

**"So, did you meet any new friend on your trip?"**

**"No, not really. Other than the King and DiZ, I didn't really meet to many people worth remembering." **  
**Riku dropped his short into the waterfall next to the secret place.**

**"I meant if you met someone you liked." There was anxiety in her voice. Like she wanted him to say no. **

**"No" he replied flatly.**

**"I mean, should you have met anyone, but I don't think you did, would you think of her often?" Kairi was hinting at something, but Riku wasn't catching on.**

**"I was wondering, did you think of me during your trip?"**

**"Everyday."**

**"Things like what?"**

**The two were face to face now. **

**Riku wasn't stupid. He knew what was going on, so he tried to stay away from that area. It felt **  
**wrong somehow.**

**"Like what would happen if you had never came back. I couldn't take it. You were innocent, and I took everything from everyone because of my selfishness."**

**Kairi thrust herself towards Riku and pressed her body against his. "I'm not so innocent you know..."**

**xox**

**Part 3: Humanity**

**"We all lost something back then. For HIM it was his childhood. To ask a 14 year old kid to save the universe, is a burden all by itself. But for HIM to do so and sacrifice himself for HIS friends will take a lot out of HIM. On top of that, in HIS mind HE went from 14 to 15 without a moment's notice. HE lost a year thanks to my selfishness.**

**What SHE lost was not so much different, but it was at the same time. SHE lost HER innocence. Without HIM around to be a good influence on HER, SHE gave in to urges a lot deeper than just flirting with other boys. SHE grew up in the worst way possible. The worst way is the kind that makes a father embarrassed of his daughter. Makes him think that he went wrong somewhere along the lines. That's the kind of woman SHE grew up to be.**

**As for me? I lost something sadder and deeper than my childhood or innocence. I lost... my humanity. It was originally me who brought the heartless to the islands and destroyed everything. To this day, I still think of the horrors of being controlled by him...by Ansem. It makes me sick to my stomach, yet makes me feel alive at the same time. Fearing the dark, and embracing the dark; a fear I loved.**

**The animosity between best friends was a rush I enjoyed, but hated. A part of me still wishes I was out there; living life to the fullest. Instead, I'm here. A lowly salaryman making ends meet to feed the family that despises me. My WIFE denies it up and down, but I think SHE'S lying. I never had brown, spiky hair like "MY" son has. I know the truth, but I don't know why I don't rectify these inequities. **

**Sometimes just for the sheer thrill of it, when I go outside and light a cigarette, I hope the heartless come back and destroy everything. I know I wouldn't make it off the island a second time, on top of that, I think the heartless are gone for good. Deep down, I think that HE got rid of them. Had that still been my field, I would be the hero, with a child that lives with another man..."**

**A buisiness man, with white hair, in his mid 30's wrote on a piece of paper. He froze, seething with anger.**

**"I think I may kill them all tonight." His hand scribbled back and forth over the paper.**


End file.
